members of our staff are not only qualified professionals with significant experience in their fields, but are also well-rounded leaders with diverse skills.
what unites the team is a passion for teaching, personal drive, motivation, and integrity. their enthusiasm to give 110% makes a difference for others. the staff is focused on developing soft skills in students such as communication and leadership, thereby providing them with a new set of tools for the future.
Staff skills are program specific, such as holding a maritime license in the BVIs, or having a background in teaching English. The average age of the staff is 28; all are first aid and CPR certified. Along with local guides and specialists, the ratio of staff to students is approximately 1:4 or 1:5. This enables close interaction and individualized attention during the program.
jim stoll - executive director
Jim
began offering educational programs for youth as a young man
himself. Initially oriented around the water, he applied his
sailing skills while teaching and working with teenagers.
In 1970 Jim became Captain and owner of the 156’ schoolship
Te Vega, sailing with her sister-ship, the 175’ Te Quest,
and enrolled 86 teenagers every year in a high school program
of study and travel. After 12 years and 50,000 miles of cruising,
Jim moved ashore to develop ActionQuest programs in 1986,
Sea|mester programs in 1998, and Lifeworks in 2001. All
offer quality educational and motivational programs for
youth. Jim is involved full-time.
mike meighan - executive director
Mike
joined the team in 1995 as a staff member for our Caribbean
programs. Since that time, Mike has extended his participation
into all aspects of the programs’ operations.
Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Mike immigrated
to the United States with his wife, Joanne, in 1996
to work full-time with the programs. Mike’s passion
for teaching traditional academics in an experiential
way led to the development of our accredited college-level
programs, Sea|mester, in 1998. Mike sails with our BVI
programs during the summer and, throughout the rest of
the year, he directs ActionQuest, Sea|mester and
Lifeworks, in addition to developing new programs
and course curriculums.
dan meyer - director of operations
Dan
has been active in the field of experiential education since
2000. Since that time, Dan has facilitated hundreds of groups
as an environmental educator, a wilderness trail guide, a
high and low ropes challenge course facilitator, a youth-at-risk
counselor, and, most recently, as an international service-adventure
guide for Lifeworks. Dan is a dedicated academic and holds his M.S. in Experiential Education, and an avid traveler with
countless stories from North and South America, Europe, Africa,
and Asia. Dan is responsible for the coordination of all operational
aspects of our programs, and aims to deliver the very best
experiences for Lifeworks students.
our office & operational
staff
Use the viewer below to learn more about the Lifeworks
office and operational staff. Flip the zoomed photo for
a staff bio.
